Four-goal Steelstown U19s star at Celtic Park

Harry O’Kane U19A2 Football Championship Final

Steelstown 4-11

Faughanvale 0-6

The trophy cabinet at Steelstown Brian Ogs will have to be extended before too long with their U19s adding the Harry O’Kane title after a blistering display of attacking football at Celtic Park.

On the back of Steelstown’s Ladies team winning the Derry and Ulster titles, the U19s produced an emphatic display to blow away Faughanvale in what was ultimately a one-sided final on Saturday.

Steelstown wasted no time in asserting their dominance in this game, and any thoughts of a closely fought final were gone after just 13 minutes with the team in blue finding the net THREE times early on to give their opponents what proved to be an impossible task.

Faughanvale. It has to be said, were much improved in the second period after a devastating first half, and, roared on by a vociferous supper, they never let their heads drop, despite knowing a long, long time before the final whistle that this wasn’t going to be their day.

They will reflect however on two great goal chances they had in that first period, particularly one which saw Jude Bryson smash the ball off the base pf the post. A goal then may just have switched the momentum of this cup final, but the ball stayed out and a 13-point deficit at half time was, psychologically, too much for the Greysteel side to come back from.

Lightning quick

The first score in any cup final can be so important, and Steelstown wasted absolutely no time in making it theirs. Straight from the throw in in fact, Corey McGuinness gathered possession and headed straight for goal. The Steelstown forward ran powerfully, but without any challenge, straight through where he blasted the ball past goalkeeper Adam McConnellogue and into the net, with just 15 seconds on the clock.

Faughanvale responded well and could have scored themselves when a chance opened up for Caolan Cooper, but he was denied by Adam Devine, who threw himself at his opponent to stop a shot on goal. He fouled his man in the process, and Cooper scored the resulting free, but a point was better than a goal from a Steelstown point of view.

That proved to be the only score of the half as Steelstown then took control, putting one strong hand on the trophy with two more goals in a four-minute period.

After the first of five scores from Mark Chester and another from Odhran Campbell, Steelstown won a free 35 metres out on the left. Chester’s effort dropped short, right into the square, where Kieran Kelpie rose highest to punch the ball into the net for goal number two.

Just three minutes later, Steelstown had their third goal when Campbell set Joseph Feeney away and he found the net despite McConnellogue getting a hand to it. That made the score 3-2, 0-1 with 3 minutes played, and it was already hard to see Faughanvale making any sort of a comeback.

Chester added a second to extend the Steelstown lead, before a key moment passed Faughanvale by on 15 minutes. Bryson did everything right, hitting the ball low and hard past goalkeeper Patrick Tourish, but it cannoned back off the base of the post and stayed out, with Bryson holding his head in his hands in disbelief.

Points from Oran Durning and Ruairi Cutliffe made it 3-5, 0-1 five minutes before the break and there could even have been a fourth Steelstown goal, but McConnellogue was out bravely to save from Cutliffe as a one-sided first half came to an end.

Half Time 3-5, 0-1

Steelstown continued where they left off after the restart, with Ronan Canavan and Feeney adding scores before the fourth goal finally arrived 10 minutes in. It came with a smart turn and finish from Eoin Canavan, and, as a contest, the game was now done, with the score 4-7, 0-1.  

Chester continued to add to his tally before James McCafferty scored Faughanvale’s first point from play, and that sparked a mini revival, with two other scores quickly following, both coming from the impressive Ben Moore.

Tiarnan McFeeley and Shane McGlinchey added further scores to add a bit of respect onto the final scoreline as Faughanvale finished with a bit of fight, but even they will admit that the day belonged to Steelstown, who gave their opponents no chance to settle from the start in what was a powerful showing in this U19 final.

Teams and Scorers

STEELSTOWN: Patrick Tourish, Adam Devine, Oran Durnin (0-1), Odhran Campbell (0-1), Cillian Doherty, Eoin Canavan (1-0), Corey McGuinness (1-0), Mark Chester (0-5, 1f), Joseph Feeney (1-2, 1f), Ellis Deery, Ethan McClelland, Ruairi Cutliffe (0-1), Caoimhin Wray, Kieran Kelpie (1-0), Ronan Canavan (0-1).

Subs: Liam Meenan for Patrick Tourish 52’, Ronan Mooney for Adam Devine 55’, Luke Harkin for Mark Chester 58’, Caolan Murphy for Corey McGuinness 60’,

FAUGHANVALE: Adam McConnellogue, Ruairi Fenlon, Ben Moore (0-2), Jack Kealey, Callum McWilliams, Odhran Clenaghan, Jack McGuinness, Shane McGlinchey (0-1), Padhraic O’Neill, Caolan Cooper (0-1, 1f), James McCafferty (0-1), Conall Sweeney, Tiarnan McFeely (0-1), Joseph McGrandless, Jude Bryson.

Subs: John Paul McCafferty for Joseph McGrandless 35’, Shane McGlinchey for Caolan Cooper 44’, 19 James Conlon for Jack Kealey 51’,

FV Yellow: Joseph McGrandless 33’,

REFEREE: Maurice Corrigan.